Airport Advocacy, and Overreliance on Automation

This may be the most important presentation we've ever had, and you won't want to miss it!

We all know that airports all around us are under threat from numerous outside influences, but what can we do about it? Fortunately, for us here at Fullerton, things are going pretty well lately. Unfortunately, this is not the case at many other airports not very far away. It may be easy to think we don't need to be worried, or that we don't need to help those other airports, but the truth is, we all should be as involved as we can in these struggles, wherever they occur.

While the concept of airport advocacy does not appear in any pilot training curriculum, it's a crucial aspect of being a pilot. If we don't know that we have to, or how to, advocate for our airports,  we may lose these precious and irreplaceable commodities.

Carol Ford is the President of the California Pilots Association, which for 75 years has been the advocacy organization working to protect California airports and our access to them. From land use issues, to noise complaints, to obstacle construction and lighting, Carol has seen it all and will help us understand how best to continue that work.

Then, the FAA presents Overreliance on Automation. With the creation of modern navigation and autopilot systems available in the smaller end of the GA airplane marketplace in the last several years, it's important to keep these amazing tools for aircraft management in perspective. We can't lose sight of the Big Picture as pilots, which requires us to stay focused on how best to safely find our ways around the skies.

As always, the FAPA Grill Team will be serving a hot dog or bratwurst dinner, available starting at 6PM for a small charge.